Always Keep Active

There is a difference between physical activity and exercise. Exercise is actually a type of physical activity that is a planned routine. While physical activity is simply doing activities that increases your physical fitness and overall health.

It is important to stay physically active, which does not always entail going to the gym to exercise. It could simply mean, taking a walk in the park, going for a jog, hiking, skating, playing recreational sports, raking the leaves in your yard, shoveling snow, power washing your house, etc.

HELLO 2016 GOODBYE 2015

It's a New Year! Can you believe it? Make this year a better one, a fit one, and a healthy one. Your focus this year and the ones to follow should be to improve your way of life so that you can live an active and healthy lifestyle with longevity. Be happy, Be strong, Love your Life, and Love your body. Here are a few tips to help you get into shape.

Instructor, Liz, and I in dancer's pose. Using a yoga towel made by Arete Complete @Aretecomplete http://aretecomplete.com/

Yoga Benefits

Yoga is a great activity to participate in. Not only does it benefit you physically (better muscular strength, flexibility, and body balance) It also benefits you mentally (helps to reduce stress, reduce anxiety, teaches you to stay calm and focused, etc.) Yoga is about balance between the mind and the body. It is a practice of patients and focus.

My Experience Today With Vinyasa

Instructor,Liz, in a back bend while I sit and meditate (Fun Pose). Using a yoga towel by Arete Complete @Aretecomplete http://aretecomplete.com/

Today my mother and I attended a class in Philadelphia at Dhyana Yoga Seva Center to try out my friend's, Liz, Vinyasa yoga class. This was a great class that focused on breathing and transitioning through each yoga position by flowing through the movements. The class was mixed with people of different yoga levels. There were beginners, like me, who stuck with the basic movements and poses - than there were intermediate and advanced yogis who attended the class, who focused on their practice by challenging themselves and trusting their bodies with more advanced poses, like arm balancing and headstands.Although there was a mix of levels in the class, it was not a reason to feel intimidated to try it out. Yoga is about you and your practice at the moment. You focus on the things that you need to do in order to get to the next pose. You challenge your body in a different way.

Trying Yoga As A Form Of Physical Activity

Yoga is a great activity to get involved in! It will make you stronger, more flexible, and improves your stability and balance. It will keep you calm, reduce your stress, reduce any anxiety, and more. If you are trying yoga for the first time, find a studio around you that gives beginner and basic yoga classes. There are so many different types of yoga to choose from - some fast pace and vigorous while others are slow and gentle. You have to find a yoga type that best suits you. You want to enjoy this activity. Just to name a few types, there are, Hatha Yoga and Vinyasa Yoga. I have tried both and find that I really enjoy them.

Hatha Yoga goes through different postures and movements to help align your body.

Vinyasa Yoga focuses on your breathing during the flow through all the postures and positions during the practice.

You don't have to have great muscular strength to try yogaYoga will make you stronger. (Legs, Arms, Core, and Mind.)You don't have to be flexible to try yogaYoga will improve your flexibility and joint range of motion. You don't have to have great balanceYoga will improve your stability.

If you haven't already tried out a yoga class, find one that best suits you and that you will enjoy! It can be a fun and rewarding activity.#AlwaysKeepActive#KeepCalmAndYogaOn

Are you looking for a good work out that challenges your endurance?Spinning is great for that. It is a cardio work out that challenges your cardiorespiratory system and lower extremity muscular endurance for the entire length of the class. I took a class at Inner Drive Studios in Broomall, Pennsylvania on Friday with a friend, and today, for a Sunday Morning Workout, I introduced my father to the class.

It’s my dad's 65th birthday, and he is an avid road cyclist. He takes his road bike out every chance he gets, and rides his stationary life cycle every weekend at home – But he has never been to a spinning class. This was something we both enjoyed. We both felt challenged, and worked hard to finish through.

INNER DRIVEAt Inner Drive Studios they have different instructors throughout the week, teaching the classes with their own style. Today was a hard cardio ride for 45 minutes, where we sprinted on and off, adding resistance in and out of our seats, and “climbed hills.” This type of group exercise class is different from others to where, you set your level and pace (each person has a different tolerance to the resistance and speed) – and you challenge yourself. The trainer instructs what to do and when, but it is your job to put the amount of resistance needed, and push yourself through the work out. It is easy to sit back and ride on an easy level, but if you want results, you need to challenge your body.

Try to find a spinning class close to you. Bring a friend and have fun!

WHAT IS WORKING?Like I said earlier, spinning helps to add stress to your cardiorespiratory system and challenges your muscular endurance.

The target muscles are your Quads, Hamstrings, and Glutes. While on the bike you are dealing with resistance throughout Knee and Hip Flexion and Extension, which really works those leg muscles.

The core is also involved. Throughout the ride you want to keep your abs tight and maintain proper biking posture. (The Instructor should teach you how this is done.)

Author

My name is Jenna and I am a Personal Trainer with a dream of motivating and inspiring others to live a healthy and active lifestyle. I live a life full of fun and adventure that I wish to share with all of you through my blog. With advise, tips, and my life stories I hope these posts help to motivate and inspire to begin and/or maintain an exercise program.